


So Close, Yet so Far.

by ScreamingPeacocks



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: AU, Angst, Denial, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Idolizing someone for so long that you think you're in a relationship with them, Implied/Referenced Cheating, M/M, Misunderstandings, No Smut, Panic, Sewing, The tailor of enbizaka, going slightly insane
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-18
Updated: 2018-12-18
Packaged: 2019-09-21 16:51:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,810
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17046974
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScreamingPeacocks/pseuds/ScreamingPeacocks
Summary: Xander, a foreign prince who escaped during the Nohrian concubine wars, now runs a small tailor shop in Hoshido. He may not be the most accepted man there, but his skills are exquisite- and this is the story of his relationship with the crown prince of Hoshido, Ryoma.Or, perhaps, lack thereof.





	1. Chapter 1

It was a calm day in Hoshido. Late afternoon.  
The wind blew outside just hard enough to rustle the bamboo wind chimes outside of the shop, as if the trees themselves had begun to sigh.

Xander was busying himself by sewing. He ran a well-known store that was known as the best for tailoring work. What could he say? He had a knack for it. It was a way to kill time, at least. Some people in town despised the shop, but when you’re known as one of the best tailors in Hoshido, some people are bound to get envious. 

As he continued to sew, his fingers already knowing what to do, Xander began to think back. Back to his past. He had escaped. From where? Nohr. The concubines. His siblings. He had escaped. A survivor. A coward, perhaps, but a survivor. He had only been 7 when he crossed the Hoshidan border and took refuge in the farthest town he could manage to travel to. 

He noticed his stitches beginning to look jagged. He stopped thinking. 

It required patience and perseverance in this work. If every stitch wasn’t as perfect as the last, he may lose customers. Less customers meant less income. Less food. This was known as the best shop for tailoring in all of Hoshido. Let's keep it that way. 

A small bell chimed as another person walked in, and Xander set down the needle and thread next to his trusty pair of fabric shears. Was he back? Was he finally back? 

Ryoma.  
Ryoma, Ryoma, _Ryoma._  
Xander remembered the exact details from when the man had first stepped into his shop. The way his hair was tied back, the way he smiled. He was awestruck at Ryoma’s beauty. Surely he must have been the most beautiful man Xander had ever had the privilege of laying his eyes on. They had hit it off quite nicely, and were married within a year’s time. The wedding was small, but more than enough. It had been the happiest day of their lives. 

But it wasn’t him.  
Recently, it was never him. 

It was another customer coming to pick up a tailored kimono. 

Xander sighed and went to go take care of the customer.  
He gave them a halfhearted smile as they admired his work, and waved as they left. 

Recently, Ryoma hadn’t been coming home.  
Had it been a month now? Or was he in denial? It couldn’t have been more than that, right? 

Xander’s breathing got heavier, and a few tears rolled down his cheeks. His chest felt tight, and he choked a bit on a sob. Not now, not now. He had promised himself that no matter what, he would always trust Ryoma. Even if...it felt like he was never around. 

“I think…I need a break.” 

\----------------------

The next morning, Xander’s shop was closed, a written note explaining he would not be open posted on the door. He could be found wandering the streets of Hoshido, his blonde hair catching the attention of many. A few women giggled from the opposite side of the street. God, he wished he didn’t have this hair, this sign that he wasn’t from here. It made him always stick out like a sore thumb. 

Street vendors hawked goods at him from nearly every which way. One offered scarves, another offered hand-carved bowls. Many offered food. One offered some warm soup, and he politely shook his head no. As he looked back up, something caught his eye.

Him!!!! It was Him! It was really Ryoma!  
Xander’s could feel his heat pounding, and a smile spread across his face. Finally, he was coming home!!

But as quickly as his heart had leapt, it sank.  
He was with a woman.

Someone else. 

Of course.

She donned a beautiful crimson kimono and her hair was redder than the most vibrant fabric Xander could ever hope to obtain. Was she royalty? Probably. With Ryoma’s beauty he could get any woman he could ever want. But the worst part was…

He looked so happy with her. 

They seemed to be exchanging smalltalk, and Ryoma's deep laugh echoed in the crowded street. As they drew closer, Xander's mind began to race and the smile that had once previously adorned his face quickly vanished. Ryoma didn't even notice him as they walked by.

Xander began to run. 

Tears began streaming down his cheeks as he ran into a nearby alley, trying so, so hard not to completely break down. All of his thoughts rushed through his head. Is this where he had been all this time? Cheating? Oh gods, no!! Why now? _Why him?_ They had been together for long enough, right? He'd been a good husband to Ryoma, right??

All of his suspicions that he had desperately been ignoring for the past month had been confirmed. Ryoma had been cheating on him with that lady, whoever she was. He had been in denial for so long, been so hopeful that this hadn't been happening only to have his heart crushed. Had it been only her? How many people had Ryoma been with? Two? Five? _More???_

His breathing slowed, and he began to straighten up. He might as well go back to his shop in order to cry, heavens knew he needed it. As he walked back, he tried to forget. Forget that this had ever happened. Forget how badly Ryoma had seemed to forget him. His own husband. 

He entered, the familiar sound of the small bell clinking over his head. He sat down and reached for his trusty fabric shears. Even after all this, he had work that needed to be done. He began to cry once more as he worked solemnly, tears occasionally hitting the red fabric of his new project as he slowly accepted the reality of his cheating husband.


	2. Tragedy.

The next morning was quiet, aside from a few birds chirping.

Peaceful. 

Xander, who had fallen asleep from exhaustion, was curled up next to his workspace. He slowly opened his eyes, allowing himself to wake up at his own pace. He chose to simply lie there a moment, just slowly breathing in and out. 

He missed him.

Forcing himself to sit up, he noticed that a beautiful crimson kimono was gently laying out on the table and his trusty fabric shears and supplies had been spread out every which way. Turns out the fabric had been stained, and he had been up much too late tailoring his new project and scrubbing stains out. 

Then he remembered it.  
It hit him again in a second blast of fury and sorrow, and he grimaced.  
Ryoma was cheating. 

If only he could hold onto the peaceful silence morning brought. That simple time when you wake up and haven’t remembered just yet, when everything in the world seemed ok. Lonely, but ok.  
A bit of guilt welled up in his throat, but he swallowed it back down. He didn’t mean to come back to his store and create this for himself, it had just…happened. Being lost in the flurry of mindless work, he could hardly remember every detail of the previous night.  
He gently picked up the kimono, admiring the stitchwork. Perfectly straight. Even if he was a bit tired, this had been worth the long night. After yesterday, he needed to do this for himself. If Ryoma wanted a partner who could wear garments like these, then he was going to become one, even if it was the last thing he did. 

\-----------

The tailor shop was closed again today, another neatly written note fixed on the door. 

Xander was walking through the merchants again, hoping to take his mind off of everything that had happened. He bought some food with the money he had from the previous week, sitting down across from the lavish bridge that lead to castle Shirasagi. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but something seemed…different. A lot of the merchants were either closed for the day or not as enthusiastic about hawking their goods, and occasionally he’d see one crying.

Perhaps a crime had occurred, and something had happened to the country. It wasn’t what typically happened, as crime was rather rare in Hoshido, but it wasn’t out of the question. He motioned to a man standing nearby. 

“Hello, sir. Could you tell me what happened to cause this much distress in the village?”

The man paused and turned to him, a solemn expression fixed on his face. “Ah, yes. One of the royal family, Hinoka, was murdered last night.”

“Oh gods…” Xander mumbled, going a bit pale. “That’s…that’s awful.” 

“I know. Everyone is mourning today.” The man said, allowing a short moment to pass before giving his farewells and turning to walk back to the village. 

Xander looked down at his food and forced himself to finish it-despite his appetite being long gone. The eldest sister of Hoshido…. he couldn’t believe that someone would target her. He had heard that she was a strong warrior who inspired many of the country’s people. He hadn’t heard a single negative comment about her, only praise from many.

He certainly didn’t have any negative feelings towards her. Not anymore, at least. 

He shook the thought out of his mind, deciding to go back and work a bit more.  
He started to get up, but then paused abruptly. 

Ryoma.  
He was there!! On the bridge!

He looked so beautiful there, leaning on the bridge. Even if he seemed…. off. Different then how he had seemed the day before. He looked like he had been crying. It made sense, he too must’ve been mourning the loss of the nation’s princess. But then he saw…the other.

Xander’s heart sank again. 

Beautiful silver hair flowed with the breeze, perfectly framing the face of the man leaning on the bridge alongside Ryoma. Wearing a beautiful emerald-detailed obi with his formal kimono, Xander recognized how beautiful his delicate masculine features were when matched with the outfit. 

Of course Ryoma would pick someone like him.  
Of course Ryoma was cheating again. 

Xander choked on his tears, not even realizing that he had begun to cry again. Knowing that it hadn’t just been the one woman, but more? Had he given up on their marriage and never bothered to tell Xander? Did he _want_ Xander to be this hurt??  
Xander thought back. What could he have done that would have chased Ryoma away? Oh gods, his mind was racing and he couldn't remember. It was all too much.

He nearly fell to his knees, his heart pounding and his breathing getting heavier. He had to get back. Back to his shop. 

No one noticed him as he ran. Good, all he wanted in this moment was to get back to his work in peace and forget. Forget everything.

**Author's Note:**

> Perhaps you've already guessed, but I've been feeling nostalgic lately so this fic is inspired by Mothy's 'The Tailor of Enbizaka'.  
> I don't really write many fics, especially not seriously, so hopefully I did an ok job!


End file.
